With a little help from nature
by Not Just a Nerd
Summary: Prompt:"If you want something from the depth of your heart, nature will try to give it to you."... Alex just needs to find Justin, nothing more. And when you haven't seen him for 10 years? yeah, really easy. JALEX. REVIEW PLEASE.


(A/N: Okay guys, this is my 2nd jalex, so PLEASE review and tell me what you think! Alex may seem a bit OOC in the future parts but I think I captured her well in the flash backs, what do you think?)

Prompt: If you want something from the depth of your heart, nature will try to give it to you. (It's an approximate translation of a Hindi dialogue from the bollywood movie Om Shanti Om.)

Disclaimer: don't own anything.

******

"Excuse me, can you direct me to this address please?" Alex held out a piece of paper to a stranger, who looked at it, shook his head and ran off.

That's a bummer, Alex thought. Not many people lived in that street, and none could direct her to the house. The rain slowly started to drench her dress and her long brown hair. She was sure she would end up having high fever, but that didn't mean she would back off. She had to find him.

Alex took a step forward, while still lost in thoughts. Her feet landed in a puddle and her new boot was ruined. Some dirty water splashed on her face. Alex groaned.

*****

"_Alex, come here NOW!" Justin yelled._

"_Why?" Alex yelled back. _

"_You can't play in the rain! You will catch a cold!" Justin screamed again. _

_Alex rolled her eyes and ignored him. "I don't care." _

"_Alex, mom will be really mad at you!" Justin scolded as he tried to place his umbrella on her head. "Let's go home."_

"_What! No!" Alex protested, while she pushed the umbrella away from her head. _

"_Alex, I'm your big brother, you have to listen to me." Justin said with a tone of superiority. _

"_Justin, I'm five now. I don't take orders from you anymore." Alex snapped back. _

_Justin wasted no time- he grabbed her arm. Alex stomped her feet in the puddle, and got some mud over her brother's clothes as well. _

"_Alex!" Justin panicked. Alex only laughed. _

"_Now, mom will scold me!" Justin yelled. _

"_Justin! Can you stop being the perfect boy for just one day?" Alex asked in an irritated tone. "Try enjoying the rain once. Just spread your arms like this", Alex illustrated, "face the sky, close your eyes, and feel the rain. See how relaxed you will feel."_

_Justin reluctantly followed Alex's lead, and for once in his life, he was glad that he did. _

*****

Alex sighed. Where was Justin at that moment? She took out a tissue paper from her purse and started wiping her face. She wiped her tears too and took another step forward.

She had to find him.

She had to find him- with a little help from nature.

"Please help me", Alex silently pleaded to the thundering clouds and the dark, glaring sky.

Suddenly, the rainfall became stronger. Alex winced. The road started getting slippery. A car was passing by her, but accidentally its wheel slipped into a puddle, splashing Alex's shirt and jeans (Again). "Hey! Watch where you are going!" Alex shouted at the car. The car stopped, and a man from the passenger seat stepped out, carrying an umbrella.

"I'm so sorry." He apologized sincerely. "Let me make it upto you. Let me give you a lift. Where are you going?"

Alex snorted. Where was she going? "Actually, I'm looking for this address."

She held the paper out to him. He took it and read the address carefully.

Finally, he spoke. "I know this address. Let me drop you there."

"No thanks, I can go there myself", Alex refused politely, "just give me the directions."

If there's one thing she's learnt from Justin, it's this: a lonely girl should not trust a stranger in a deserted street.

*****

"Zeke?"

"Alex!!?!!??" Zeke squealed, "Oh my goodness Alex, how in the world did you find me?"

"I gathered your address from one of your old friends, and I looked for your house." Alex replied, as she shuddered because of the cold wind.

"Well, you are soaking. Come on in. Let me make you some hot coffee." Zeke offered.

"Thanks Zeke, that's very kind of you," Alex replied politely as she stepped inside the house, "but I don't want coffee, I want some information from you."

"Okay, go on." Zeke said skeptically.

"Where is Justin?" Alex asked calmly as she sat down on a chair.

*****

"_Mom where is Justin?" Alex asked her mom, who was setting ten candles on her birthday_ _cake at that moment. _

"_I don't know, honey", Theresa replied, "He said he had some work to do."_

_Alex winced. Of all times, now? Why did he have to do some stupid work during her tenth birthday_ _party? She didn't miss his tenth birthday! She spent all the time organizing (pulling pranks on people). _

"_I think it's time for you to cut the cake Alex." Theresa said._

"_Without Justin?" Alex questioned, shaking her head. _

_Where was Justin? "Please Justin, come here", Alex pleaded as she closed her eyes. _

"_Please don't tell me I'm too late!" Justin panted as he came running into the room._

_Alex saw the wrapped gift in this hand. And even without opening it, she knew it was the peach lip gloss she wanted. "It's never too late", Alex smiled. _

****

"What?" Zeke asked, taken aback.

"Where is Justin?" Alex repeated, in a more determined voice.

"I…I don't know." Zeke stuttered, "I haven't seen him in ten years. We last met on my eighteenth birthday party. I'm sorry."

"But you have heard from him, haven't you?" Alex questioned again, "You do know where he is. You do know his contact number."

"I don't know anything about him." Zeke replied, refusing to meet her eyes.

Alex gave him a glare. He shuddered when he looked into those cold piercing eyes. "Okay fine, I know here he is," Zeke broke down, "he told me everything. I still don't believe it…. But, but I'm not telling you anything about him. I promised him I won't tell anything to anyone. He's living a new life now Alex, why don't you just let him be?"

It was time for Alex's outburst. Her clothes were ruined, she was shivering, how could Zeke yell at her on top of that? "Because he is my brother, and I really love him. I've been looking for him for ten years now. I have to find him. I need him back. I want him back."

Zeke stared at Alex as her cheeks got stained with her tears. "I'm sorry Alex, but I can't help you here. I'm Justin's best friend, I can't betray him!" Zeke said as he got up and walked to the window, closing it against the harsh raindrops.

Alex cried more bitterly. "I don't understand", she said between sobs, "why is he hiding?"

*****

"_What are you doing here?" Justin screamed as he entered his room._

"_What does it look like I'm doing? Hiding from mom, duh." Alex retorted. _

"_You broke her lamp again, didn't you? You know you can't hide forever." Justin said as he went to his book-shelf and searched for his physics book. _

_Alex looked at him. "Of course I can. If you want something from the depth of your heart, nature will try to give it to you."_

_Justin chuckled. "It looks like someone in this house, who pretends to be too-cool-to-care, has been watching too many sappy movies."_

_Alex rolled her eyes. "Dork." _

_Justin sighed and turned around to face her. "Alex, hiding is not a solution to your problems._ _You have to learn to face your problems and live beyond them." _

****

Alex wiped her tears, "please Zeke", she pleaded again.

Zeke shook his head, refusing to look at her.

Alex sighed and got up. Another dead end, she thought.

She walked outside the room and down the stairs. As she was going to exit from the main entrance, the wind got chiller and wilder. Alex cringed. That was the last thing she needed. The wind rattled against the letter box. Why didn't Zeke have a lock in it? Oh, right, there were not many people who lived at that place, and there weren't any robbers apparently.

It was as if nature had a mind of its own. The letter box opened, all letters flung outside. And suddenly, one letter caught her attention- Justin's handwriting! She rushed down and picked it up. She ripped it open and held it close to her eyes. Finally! she thought. More tears slid down her cheeks. Maybe stealing letters from a person's letter box wasn't the right thing to do, but since when did Alex Russo care about right and wrong? (And really, only Justin would still write letters instead of just emailing or texting).

*****

Knock. Knock.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

"Who's this?"

Silence.

"What the hell do you thing you are-", Justin stopped mid-sentence as he took in the sight in front of him.

There was Alex- his little sister- right in front of him. She had grown taller in the last ten years, gained a few pounds. There was Alex- the most important person of his life- right in front of him. She was soaking wet from the rain, shivering. Of course she had forgotten her umbrella at home! There was Alex- his Alex- right in front of him again.

"Alex?" Justin asked, not believing his eyes.

"Justin!" Alex smiled through her tears, as her throat choked. "Justin, I found you!" she squealed as she ran upto him, hugging him with all her strength.

Justin just stood there dumbfounded for two minutes, processing what happened. Finally he threw his arms around her and closed his eyes tightly. Then came the tears, tears that he had refused to shed in the past ten years, tears that proved how much he missed her, tears that said how much he still loved her.

After about ten minutes, they pulled apart when Alex suddenly sneezed.

"I told you you'd catch the cold." Justin chuckled through his tears, recalling their innocent childhood days.

"And I told you I don't care." Alex shot back playfully as she wiped her tears. "Sorry I got you all wet."

"Don't you always do that?" Justin chuckled again.

"Wow. Still being the annoying big brother?" Alex retorted before she sneezed again.

"I do try….. You need to change. I'll get you some dry clothes. Come on in." Justin offered as he took her hand in his, taking in the familiar feeling of warmth and comfort, even though her hands were cold.

"No, Justin, we need to talk first." Alex protested as she intertwined their fingers.

"But you will catch a cold! This isn't hygienic Alex!" Justin snapped.

"Shut up, and listen to me dork," Alex snapped back. She took in a deep breath. "I'm sorry Justin."

Justin gulped. "Sorry for what?"

Alex looked down. "I'm sorry for the way I reacted that day."

*****

"_Justin! At least tell me what's wrong!" Alex yelled as she entered the sub-station behind Justin. _

"_Leave me alone Alex." Justin yelled._

"_What if I don't?" Alex challenged, as she grabbed his arm. "Why are you treating me like this? Why are you avoiding me?"_

_Justin yanked his arm from her grasp and looked away. _

"_Damn it, Justin, look at me," Alex commanded, "tell me what is wrong. What the hell is your problem?"_

"_You!" Justin screamed, suddenly out of control of his anger, "You are my problem. You are the reason my life is turned upside down. You are the reason I'd never find any peace in my life. You are the reason I'm doomed to hell. "_

"_What are you talking about?" Alex raised her voice. _

"_You still don't get it? Gosh!" Justin laughed hysterically, "I'm in love with you Alex."_

_Alex retreated a few steps backwards, unable to believe what her brother had just said. _

_The next thing Justin knew was that there was a stinging feeling in his cheeks as the sound of a slap echoed through the substation. _

_He stood there, clutching his red cheek, unable to move, unable to think, as he heard Alex climb up the stairs and slam her bedroom door._

*****

Justin touched his cheek instinctively at the painful memory. Alex looked down again. "I'm really very sorry Justin."

"No, it's…. its okay Alex," Justin replied calmly, "it was my fault anyways. I'm a sick disgusting freak. You don't have to say sorry. It was my mistake."

"Don't say that," Alex suddenly burst into tears, "please don't say that. Please don't call it a mistake. Please don't tell me you don't love me."

Justin stared at Alex, trying to understand what she was saying.

Alex continued rambling between her sobs, "I know I shouldn't have…. Slapped you…. But I was….. shocked….and scared….and then….shocked… That you….you feel… the same way…… that I do….. And when…. When I went to tell you… the next morning…. You… you were….gone."

Justin finally understood what she said. He pulled her into a hug and comforted her.

"Please don't tell me it's too late", Alex pleaded, looking into his eyes.

"It's never too late", Justin replied, staring back at her teary eyes.

They slowly leant in, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. All the sorrow, pain and angst of ten years was gone in one moment.

They pulled apart when Alex sneezed again.

"Okay, now this time Alex, you are listening to me. You need to change NOW." Justin ordered as he got up.

Alex smiled, finally satisfied.

She entered his room and noticed something in his table. "You still have your dolls?"

"ACTION FIGURES", Justin snapped automatically.

"Justin?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

"I have heard you say that before."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"In my dreams." Justin clarified.

"dork." Alex grinned. "My dork."

She had got him back.

She had got him back, with a little help from the world.

-fin. Please review, and thanks a lot for reading!


End file.
